Explanation of Clones with Deployments

What

ClonesIn areFileWave, a theoretical concept in FileWave. A clone representsis a symbolic linkreference to an actualexisting device/device or device group. This article coversexplains how clones arebehave treatedwhen differentlyyou inmove deploymentsfrom comparedAssociations to how they are handled in associations.Deployments.

When/Why

SometimesAn clonesadmin aremight eitherchoose purposefullya chosenclone foron an association,purpose, or justchoose chosenone forbecause convenienceit sakeis byconvenient anduring admin.assignment Regardlesswork. ofEither way, the “why” behind this, the resultpayload is the same…the payload(s) end upultimately assigned to the real device or the device group inbehind thethat real world.clone.

How

But there is a difference in the way Deployments handle clones compareddifferently tofrom Associations. Basically, Associations use the actual clone (i.e. they reference directly the id of the clone itself),object butitself, while Deployments convert the “clone” into the id of the original object…be it a device or a device group. This conversion in deployments simplifies the content assignment, and makes more logical sense.

This conversion can theoretically have an impact though when converting associations that use clones. The link being changedclone to the original device/device or device-group ID. That conversion makes the Deployment easier to understand because it points at the real target.

When converting Associations that use clones, test slowly. Changing the target from the clone to the original device or group maycan changeaffect the formula of the “winning” association…so we suggest you convert this type ofwhich association slowlywins to gauge any potential impact inif your environment.environment has overlapping rules.

ReferenceUse the View - Deployments articles to see how one creates a deployment from scratch, but infor the belowbasic Deployment workflow. The related Associations to Deployments articles you’ll also seeexplain how to use ourthe Associationsconversion totool and when Deployments Conversionare Toola tobetter createfit deploymentsthan fromolder multiple associations and also look at the benefits of Deployments overall.Associations.